March 8 is International Women’s Day. It’s good that our society recognizes the need for women to be, well, recognized for what they truly bring to the table. It’s sad that at this time and age, there’s still a need to commemorate this in order to further calls for all genders to have equal rights. That said, even in emergency preparedness, we tend to forget that women, along with children, the sick, the elderly, and even pets have specific needs. True preppers know that to keep the family alive in case of disasters and other emergencies, they should look at the needs of each member and address them. More so, emergency preparedness for pregnant women is something everyone should take a serious look at, especially now that we’re celebrating International Women’s Day.
PrepareCenter.org cited Leading Resilient Development when it said that women are “among the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of at-risk populations.” This is especially true for poor women. They are put at a major disadvantage during survival situations because of gender inequalities, dictated by society. Women are generally overburdened during emergency situations because of their roles in the household during peaceful times.
Fortunately, there are groups and individuals furthering the cause of women. In fact, there are steps being taken to address the need for gender-specific risk management, particularly emergency preparedness for women, especially expecting moms.
Pregnant Women and Infants
After Hurricane Katrina struck, FEMA reported a huge jump in the number of women who didn’t get prenatal care or received help late. That combined with severe trauma, the dangers of wading through flood waters and other hurricane-related factors supposedly resulted in an increase in pre-term deliveries and to moms giving birth to infants with low birth weight.
There are a number of ways to improve emergency preparedness for pregnant women and those who have a new-born child. One is for them and their family to develop an evacuation plan that particularly deals with their situation.
Emergency Birth Kit
Preppers have their bug out bags. Pregnant preppers should always have an emergency birth kit aside from their BOBs.
Waterproof Sheets
An emergency birth kit should include waterproof sheets. If you don’t have one, you can use a shower curtain and clean sheets to cover your bed, car seat, or even the ground if there’s no other place you can give birth on.
Items for Cleaning Hands
You need the hands of the person helping with the delivery to have clean hands. Pack a bar of soap, hand sanitizer, bottled water, and latex or plastic gloves.
Towels
Once the baby is delivered, you’ll need clean towels to dry and later wrap her to keep her warm. Pack several dry towels.
Alcohol
Use alcohol to clean your hands if you don’t have soap and water. You can also use alcohol to sterilize your equipment if you can’t boil water. Dab a cotton ball with alcohol to clean the umbilical cord.
Scissors and Shoe Strings
You’ll need a clean pair of scissors and shoelaces to cut the umbilical cord. However, you don’t need to perform this if help is on the way. If you’re cut off from the rest of the world, you can cut the cord by first sterilizing the scissors and shoelaces in boiling water. If that’s not an option, simply wash them in soap and water then soak in alcohol. Tie one shoelace about three inches from the baby’s tummy while the other one should be a couple of inches from the first knot. Cut the cord between these two knots.
Garbage Bags
The placenta will come out without you egging it on. Once it does, put it in a garbage bag so you can take it to the hospital later. You also need a separate garbage bag for your used gloves, sheets, and towels.
After Birth Necessities
For Mom
After giving birth, the new mom will need to wear sanitary pads. One technique to slow the bleeding is to firmly rub the lower stomach. You’ll still need pads to absorb the blood. The vagina will be in pain after giving birth. Relieve some of the pain with Tylenol or a cold pack.
Giving birth is already a stressful moment in a woman’s life. Dong so during a hurricane or any other disaster ups the ante. Include items that will help the new mom relax at be at ease despite what’s going on.
For Baby
The baby will need a blanket to keep her warm. The head is also pretty sensitive at this point so you should pack a hat. You’ll also need lots of diapers. Make sure you get the ones for newborns.
Ideally, moms should breastfeed the baby. The oxytocin released during breastfeeding helps prevent postpartum hemorrhage. Plus, it’s a good bonding experience between mom and baby. Of course, there may be factors that may keep mom from breastfeeding. Keep some baby formula and feeding bottles in your emergency kit just to be sure.
Birthing Options
Even if you’re planning to give birth in a hospital, you should always be wary of other options. Part of your emergency preparedness for pregnant women should be to look at the possibility of giving birth at home. The information will come in handy when you are forced to stay in your home due to a calamity, terrorist attack, zombie apocalypse or whatever it is that’s keeping people off the streets. When it comes down to it, you need to know how to give birth at home, even if unassisted.
Emergency preparedness for pregnant women is not limited to their pregnancy needs. You still need to pack food, water and other items necessary for your survival. To know more about this, check out The Gentleman Pirate and the many articles about surviving different disasters and emergency situations.
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